LAKE COUNTY — The Lake County Board of Supervisors (BOS) Tuesday unanimously passed an ordinance establishing regulations for medical marijuana cultivation in the unincorporated areas of the county.
The new law is set to take effect on Nov. 10, however, that date could be in flux with a group of local citizens announcing several hours after the BOS vote that they would begin collecting signatures for a referendum petition against the ordinance.
“This ordinance clearly represents unnecessary and inappropriate overregulation,” the Lake County Citizens for Responsible Regulation stated in a press release Tuesday afternoon.
The newly-formed group said the ordinance “does not meet the needs of the patients or the general community, and would negatively impact the economy, as well as the health and the safety of Lake County residents.”
The group aims to generate the second successful referendum petition against a BOS ordinance regarding medical marijuana in less than a month.
Volunteers presented 3,540 unverified signatures to the county on Sept. 14 as part of a referendum petition against an ordinance setting regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries operating in unincorporated Lake County.
Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley announced Wednesday that she found the minimum required number of Lake County voters had signed the dispensary petition.
Fridley checked 2,745 signatures presented to her office and determined 2,201 of those were sufficient. The petition needed 2,115 valid signatures to spawn BOS action.
The BOS is scheduled to discuss the dispensary referendum during its Oct. 18 meeting. The supervisors have to decide whether to rescind the dispensary ordinance or to place the issue on the ballot.
Anybody interested in more information about the Lake County Citizens for Responsible Regulation can contact 484-8881.
